The phone recording said that they opened at 4, but things got all screwy when we popped by Cork.

We took a stroll along the water before returning for some snacks and red stuff to wash them down:

Prosciutto wrapped apple slices ($10.00):

... were fine but I had an unfair pre-conception that they would be apple wedges loosely wrapped with thin ham rather than something so composed. This dainty plate was just as the menu indicates, but not something I would re-order.

The artichoke tapenade crostini ($7.00):

... had a citrusy boost to these thistle-covered croutons.

Ham and gruyere panini ($9.00):

... was more what we were in the mood for. Nothing fancy, just a hot, crusty and simple ham and cheese with a salad to nibble on with our vino.

The real reason to come here is to relax with a glass of wine in a friendly atmosphere. The people who run the place make you feel right at home and it’s off the Sausalito tourist path as an extra bonus.

8 peaches
2 heaping handfuls blueberries
sugar to taste (depending on the sweetness of the fruit) as little as a Tablespoon or as much as your sweet tooth demands – keeping in mind that there will be sugar in the topping and a slight tang is good especially if you plan to serve some ice cream or whipped cream along side.)
1 ½ T flour
pinch salt

preheat oven to 375F

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars and cinnamon. Work in the butter until it holds together in a crumbly mass. Add the nuts. Set aside.

Place peaches in a pot of boiling water for a minute, transfer the peaches to a bowl of ice water, peel and slice into 1/3” thick wedges.

Taste the peaches and blueberries to gauge their sweetness before adding sugar to taste.

Add flour and a pinch of salt and gently combine before spreading into a gratin dish.

Crumble the topping over the fruit in an even layer.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

We were happy to see that Laiola’s wine and beer license was in effect when we slipped in to this Spani-fornian eatery.

Acme epi and a pool of olive oil kicked off our meal.

The menu is constructed for sharing with charcuteria, nibbles, salads, mains and sides.

Chorizo stuffed Medjool dates ($12.00):

...were bound with paper thin bacon. These rich, sweet and salty footballs were a goooooooal.

Garbanzos with pinenuts and house made blood sausage ($9.00):

... was bloody good. This savory combo came with grilled bread to sop up any crime scene evidence.

Willapa Bay clams ($11.00):

... were cooked just until they opened up to beg for mercy and no longer. These tender, formerly happy bay residents were immersed in a tide of garlicy tomato broth with pork sausage bits. This treif-ic dish was rustic, simple and good.

When we ordered the slow roasted piglet ($19.00):

I imagined something that looked much more disorderly and falling apart. This image was replaced by thinly sliced swine fanned out with a generous serving of monetes (a.k.a. humongous white beans). The strip of blistered, crackly skin was worth the price of admission alone. A pink, silky pocket of quince aioli secured our porky status.

There were 3 desserts listed this evening: a sorbet, a chocolate and sea salt sandwich and our choice – the Garrotxa and figs ($7.00):

These Capay figs looked like Adriatics, but they were really Candy Stripe. The nutty Catalonian goat cheese was also candy striped with honey from Alameda. I guess the air force base has not been decommissioned by the bee team.

Laiola is the sort of place we love. Not only is the chow delish, it’s casual, friendly and fun. Their no reservation policy reinforces the laid back vibe. It’s the sort of place that you can go for a board of thinly sliced meats and a glass of wine or go whole hog.

Top notch, carefully sourced ingredients and a tempting menu will keep us hopping back for more.

R'noh Thai is one of our favorite lunch spots. You just can't beat sitting on the deck on a warm Marin day. I do confess that we order the same meal regularly. My friend loves their Pork with Spicy Country Noodles and my tummy craves the BBQ Chicken with Coconut Rice and Raisins. If we're extra hungry we start with the Fresh Rolls or finish our meal with Fried Bananas and Coconut Ice Cream drizzled with honey. I'd go for the dessert alone.

The deck at R’noh was the perfect spot to r’noh-vate ourselves during lunch today.

I got one of the lunch specials. A generous portion of salmon curry ($10.50):

... arrived cloaked in a red curry with Thai basil, 'shrooms and peppers. The waitress let me sub out rice of color for the white stuff. I requested my fish rare, but it arrived fully irradiated and the curry sauce was heavy and uncomplex. The requisite iceberg and carrot salad was all that you would expect. It was okay, but not re-orderable.

Chubby got the pork bamee ($8.95):

This tangle of egg noodles topped with barbequed (or “bammed” if you’re Emeril) pork was just fine.

R’noh is one of those places where you figure out what to order. There are hits and misses. One thing that I really liked was the car that held down our bill:

Remember when you had to spend a mint for a good tomato? It seems like those days are over. Even the supermarkets have good ‘maters looming on their shelves for a minimal amount of green.

Today’s visit to Bubba’s Diner had the pleasant surprise of this seasonal bounty spilling over to our lunch plates.

My Bernadette Burger ($9.25):

... came with a hefty slice of kalidescopey, orange and red goodness. I put this nightshade inside of my head along with the ‘shrooms, Swiss cheese and turkey patty dotted with avocado.

Chubby got the chopped salad ($11.95):

... which had chicken, (very slightly overboiled) eggs, bacon, blue cheese and avocado topped off with ranch dressing and one of their house made biscuits. The highlight of both of these dishes was the heirloom tomatoes.

Bubba’s is a homey, nothing fancy diner. Part of its charm is that it’s not destination chow, it’s just a place to drop by for some honest grub. I wish that they had a wine and beer license (since I was in the mood to bend my elbow today) but I had to settle for some iced tea through a straw. Next time I’ll remember to BMOB (if I want to reverse this abbreviation.)

Last time I went to T-Rex, I broke one of my rules – never order the fish in a meat place. It turned out that my lapse was well placed. They did a fantastic job with a non-BBQ item but for today’s visit we decided to go with smoker-centric chow.

Chubby got a half order of spare ribs ($14.00):

... which were good but tougher than he had hoped. The hot sauce didn’t live up to its first name, but it was fine with its vinegar-forward tang and (in the Berkeley fashion) provided a faux tie dye pattern on the napkins. A hunk of pain de mie made him yearn for a biscuit or cornbread instead (or Kilpatrick’s white bread for a more traditionally approach.) The mayo based, new potato salad was fine but forgettable.

Onion rings ($7.00):

... were tempura battered and served with a pot of ranch dressing. These rings had nice crisp shells but were oil logged on the inside. Not good (unless you are bio-diesel powered.)

... saved the day. I relished this simple, delish cow ‘que. The meat was rich and flavorful in its Acme bun with a dollop of horseradish sauce that required some spreading out in order to cover more than the bull’s eye inside the bun.

The cabbage, carrot, apple and cilantro slaw provided a crunchy palate refresher (from more of that potato salad.)